Starwood Plans Element Hotel in Suzhou, China

Starwood announced it will open an Element hotel in Suzhou Science and Technology Town, an eco-city adjacent to the commercial and administrative center of Suzhou in mid-2015. The Element Suzhou Science and Technology Town (Element Suzhou) will be the first Element property in Asia/Pacific region.

The hotel will have 190 guestrooms, each with Heavenly Beds, swiveling flat-screen TVs, and custom-designed closets. The bathrooms will be spa-inspired, with dual-flush toilets and rain showerheads.

The property will also have approximately 10,764 square feet (1,000 square meters) of meeting and event space, as well as a business center and heated indoor pool. The hotel will offer all-day dining and access to a 24-hour fitness center.

Element is the only major hotel brand to pursue brand-wide LEED certification for high-performance buildings.

With the announcement of Signia Hilton on Friday, Hilton is effectively creating a new segment with a hotel brand dedicated to and designed specifically for the needs of meetings, events, groups, and the business traveler.
The announcement was made at an event on the 68th floor of 3 World Trade Center in a hotel-like atmosphere designed to convey the Signia Hilton guest experience.
Following the briefing, Frequent Business Traveler sat down with …

Lawmakers and government officials in both Canada and the United States are seeking answers from Boeing relating to its new 737 Max aircraft.
The investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max 8 crash found “clear similarities” between that event and the October Lion Air 737 Max 8 crash, following an initial analysis of flight recorder data.
As a result, officials across the globe are seeking answers from Boeing about new safety features …